Chapter 8 She Knows who I am
Zoe's POV
A little boy ran into the room. He should be around three years old. Dark hair like Ryan. Amber eyes like Ryan. His face was red from running. Tears ran down his cheeks.
He saw me and his whole face lit up.
"MOMMY! MOMMY'S AWAKE!"
Before I could move or think or breathe, the little boy jumped on the bed. His arms wrapped around my neck so tight.
"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy." He cried into my shoulder. His whole body shook. "...I missed you so much. I prayed every night. I told the Moon Goddess to bring you back. She listened! She really listened!"
My arms stayed frozen. This innocent little boy was hugging me like I was his mother.
Over his head, I looked at Ryan. The Alpha was crying. One hand pressed to his mouth.
"She came back to us, Marcus," Ryan whispered. "Your mommy came back."
Marcus pulled back. His tiny hands held my face. His eyes looked at me with so much trust.
"You won't leave again, right, Mommy? Promise you won't leave? Promise?"
I opened my mouth. I needed to tell him the truth.
But what would that do to this child?
"I..." The word broke.
Marcus's hands held my face tighter. Fresh tears fell. "Please, Mommy. Please don't leave again. It was so dark without you. Daddy cried. I cried. Everyone was so sad."
Something broke inside my chest. Not the bullet wound. Something deeper.
This child needed his mother. These people needed their Luna. And I looked exactly like her.
Who was Zoe Anthony anyway? A girl who trained to kill but failed. A girl with nothing and no one.
My arms moved before I could think. I wrapped them around Marcus and pulled him close. He pressed into me with a happy sigh.
"I'm here now," I whispered. "I'm here."
The room burst with sound. Pack members started coming in one by one. Crying. Hugging each other. Thanking the Moon Goddess. Ryan sat in the chair beside the bed. His head in his hands. His shoulders shaking.
More pack members filled the room. Their cheers confused me.
But one person didn't celebrate.
My eyes found her in the corner. A middle aged lady. Maybe in her late fifties. She stood perfectly still. Her sharp eyes locked on my face.
Her eyes saw everything.
I held her gaze.
Marcus still held me.
Ryan was still crying beside me.
The whole pack celebrated something that never happened.
The woman moved closer to me.
She gave me a light hug, and Marcus let go of me when he saw her.
“Welcome, my Luna,” she said.
Then she put her lips close to my ear.
And she said something silent, that only I could hear.
"I know who you are."
I pulled out of her embrace in shock.
Did I hear her right?
My heart stopped for a second.
I looked straight into her eyes, my heart pounding.
She only smiled back, like she was already done with me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but she turned away before I could say a word.
And she went out right away like a ghost.
She did not look back.
My heart beat hard. Marcus moved back into my arms.
He said in a tired voice, “Love you, Mommy.”
Three words.
Three simple words that no one had ever said to me in my entire life.
Not my family. They cared for me, but love was never spoken out loud.
Not Jeremy. He had used me, hurt me, shot me.
No one had ever looked at me and said those words.
Until now.
Until this little boy who thought I was someone else.
I held Marcus tighter. Felt his small heart beating against mine. Felt his breath warm on my neck.
And I wondered what the hell I had just gotten myself into.
And who is that woman?
Why does she sound so sure about me?
A cold chill ran through my body.
And why can’t she say it out loud for everyone to hear?